


little talks

by lavendori



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon - Manga, Heart-to-Heart, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Plans For The Future, convos that aren't in canon, new chapters will be added as more ideas come, quiet moments with a tiny dash of pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-01-06 00:37:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21217679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavendori/pseuds/lavendori
Summary: A series of little heart-to-hearts between Kageyama and Hinata throughout the manga, post-timeskip. (Will be updated whenever more ideas come.)They’ve been talking volleyball plays and future plans involving volleyball for almost two years now, but during those carefree musings, it had always been assumed that they’d be striving towards those plans together.Now, however, for the first time since that fateful day they met at the end of middle school, Hinata is speaking about a future in which their paths are going to diverge.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this from my grave after ch 370 dropped because i started thinking about how hinata and kageyama must have had at least a few moments where they talked about + gazed into the future together... which promptly made me cry and cope with those feelings by churning _this_ out. so here we are. there's a lot of interactions between them that aren't covered by canon so i decided to update this as more ideas come.
> 
> WARNING this is a little rushed and barely edited so i apologize.

“It’s been decided!” Hinata announces one evening once the rest of the team has left the gym after practice. “I’m going to Brazil!”

The two of them have stayed behind, intending to sneak some extra practice in as they always do. Tobio grabs a volleyball from the cart and passes it to him before he fully registers what Hinata’s just said.

“Oh,” he replies when the words sink in. His voice comes out more hollow and empty than he’d expected. “For beach volleyball?”

“Yeah!” Hinata grins, passing the ball absentmindedly between his hands. “Coach Ukai helped me sort it all out. I’ll be taking a year off after graduation to prepare for it. Apparently there’s a Shiratorizawa alum who’s made the same jump from indoors to outdoors too and…”

Tobio feels his chest constrict as the word _ Brazil! _ continues to echo in his mind with the sound of Hinata’s voice and — and it’s strange. He’s never been outside of the country before, can’t even fathom how many kilometers lies between Japan and the next province over, let alone the other side of the world. It isn’t just another city. Hinata will be oceans and oceans away.

“… so Washijo-san decided to set us up!”

“The Shiratorizawa coach?” he asks, even though he doesn’t need clarification. With his heart pounding and fighting to burst out of his chest, Tobio can’t think of anything else to say. It’s all he can do to keep asking questions to answers he already knows.

“Yup,” Hinata confirms. Getting into position, he throws the ball up for Tobio to set before running up and preparing to jump for the spike. Tobio tosses it to him easily, his eyes fixed on the now familiar image of Hinata stopped in midair, elbows drawn back the split second before he slams the ball in on the other side of the net.

Hinata lets out a holler of triumph before turning back to Tobio with a big grin on his face. “One more!”

Tobio complies, because when it comes to Hinata, he’s never really stood a chance.

They go a few more rounds. Although they don’t exchange any words between each set, Tobio can tell Hinata is rejoicing with significantly more enthusiasm and delight than usual. It makes sense; he must be excited with all the news. A big dream of his is finally starting to become more real. Tobio can’t say he doesn’t relate. His own path has been mapped out ahead of him, and he knows he’s going on towards greater things himself. If anything, he’s glad for both himself and Hinata as well — really glad.

So why do his lungs feel as though they’re being pressed in on all sides?

“Hey. Sleepy-yama.”

Tobio narrows his eyes.

“What?”

“You’re slacking a bit. Is someone getting tired?” Hinata taunts, a smirk spreading across his face.

Tobio scowls. “Or maybe you’re just more fired up than usual.”

Hinata laughs. “That’s true too… But ahh! Can you blame me? I can’t believe I’m actually going to Brazil_ . Brazil! _”

Tobio’s lips pull into a reluctant smile. “Yeah.”

“Uwahhhh! I’m going to have to learn Portuguese! And watch more beach volleyball videos!” Hinata lets out a great sigh and ambles over to plant his cheek into the mountain of volleyballs in the cart, relaxing into it with a blissful smile on his face. “Haaa, can you imagine? Me speaking Portuguese… Tsukishima would probably say I’m hopeless because I can’t even learn English, but I’ll show him! I’m going to get so good at speaking it by the end of this year he won’t be able to say anything mean!”

As Hinata continues to ramble, Tobio falls silent, his heart beating hard against his chest. They’ve been talking volleyball plays and future plans involving volleyball for almost two years now, but during those carefree musings, it had always been assumed that they’d be striving towards those plans together. Now, however, for the first time since that fateful day they met at the end of middle school, Hinata is speaking about a future in which their paths are going to diverge.

“Oi… Kageyama?”

Tobio shakes himself from his thoughts and refocuses his attention on Hinata.

“Hm?”

“I asked what you thought about jumping when you’re on sand instead of hardwood floors.”

“Oh—” Tobio frowns as he contemplates the matter. Now that he thinks about it, he’s never played volleyball on the beach before, but he’s seen enough videos to take a guess. “Well, I’d imagine sand is much more absorbent, so maybe your hops will probably be less… _ ‘hoppity-hop’ _ and more… _ ‘fwoosh’? _”

“I see, I see,” Hinata says, nodding sagely with his eyes closed. “That’s a good point.”

“We could try practicing in the park sometime,” Tobio shrugs, thinking of the small one by his house. “I know one that might have a sand pit.”

“Ooh!” Hinata’s face brightens at once. “That sounds so cool!”

Tobio’s lips twitch with amusement. “It’s just a sand pit.”

“Ahhh maybe some weekend we can try to go to the beach!”

“Sure,” Tobio answers. It would be a fun excursion and he’d look forward to trying out volleyball on the sand himself. “Maybe next break.”

“Yes!! Then it’s decided.” Hinata pushes away from the cart and starts to pick up one of the balls they’ve hit. “But first, help me clean up!”

They gather all the scattered balls, take down the net and fold it up, wipe down the floors again, and roll the cart out into the corner of the gym before turning off the lights and heading to the club room to change.

Like every other night they stay late, they walk out together with Hinata rolling his bike out beside him, with nothing but dingy street lamps and fireflies lighting their way forward. When they reach the section in the road where their paths diverge, they come to a stop in front of the guard rails and stare out at the mountain view ahead.

Hinata breathes in the warm night air, closing his eyes as he takes everything in and exhales.

“Hey, Kageyama,” he says.

“Yeah?” Tobio replies.

Hinata turns and smiles up at him. “You should come shopping with me for beach gear sometime next month.”

“Yeah. Sure,” Tobio nods, feeling a little dazed. The image of Hinata frozen in midair, his back arched and arm raised, is still burned into his mind’s eye. Tobio doesn’t think he’ll ever be rid of it, doesn’t know at this point whether it’s even possible, and, if he were honest with himself, isn’t sure if he’d ever want to. “Let’s do it.”

Hinata‘s smile fades as he continues to stare at Tobio. For reasons he can’t fathom, the slope of Hinata’s neck as he tilts his head in concern sets Tobio’s insides on fire. “You’re weirdly quiet tonight. Are you feeling okay?”

A lump forms in his throat as he gazes back at Hinata. It’s a simple question with a simple answer. And Tobio doesn’t know what’s gotten into him, but by this time two years from now, Hinata will be oceans and thousands of kilometers away and they’re only an arm’s width apart right now beneath the dim glow of the lamp light and still — still, he can’t bring himself to close the gap.

“Yeah,” he swallows, breaking eye contact to look out at the mountains instead. “Are you still going to stay on the same playing field as me?”

“Ha! You bet!!” Hinata proclaims with a playful punch to Tobio’s shoulder. Tobio looks down at him out of the corner of his eye, an eyebrow raised. “It might take me a few detours, but don’t you think I’d ever forget!”

“Then yeah,” he affirms. “I’m all good.”

Lifting an arm, he curls his hand into a fist and holds it out to Hinata. With a smile as bright as the sun, Hinata raises his own and bumps his knuckles against Tobio’s. In spite of it all, Tobio feels his chest expand and fill, and he looks up at the faint twinkling stars with a confident grin on his face.

Even if Hinata is halfway around the world, even if they’re playing on separate teams, as long as they can both find themselves present and connected by volleyball, they’ll be invincible.

*****

There are only three months left before graduation.

Predictably, the only thing Hinata talks about these days is Brazil. He talks about it so much Tobio knows a few words in Portuguese by now.

It’s to be expected. Although, at some point after weeks of this, Tobio notices something off about the way Hinata talks about it. He doesn’t know if Hinata realizes why he’s doing it but he wonders about it himself whenever Hinata repeats information he’s already shared because he seems to have forgotten he’s shared it, or when he hits a lull in the conversation and the excited buzz he’s kicked up around him suddenly dies away. In moments like the latter, Hinata falls quiet and his smile fades into a blank stare, inscrutable — only, Tobio knows, has observed enough of Hinata’s wide range of expressions throughout the last few years that he can recognize the other boy’s hesitation when he sees it. 

Hinata is holding back on Tobio and he’s doing all he can to talk around something that isn’t necessarily about Brazil at all.

It happens again about a week before graduation. The air is crisp and dry, the gentle chill of early spring clinging to their cheeks as they sit on the curb in front of Sakanoshita one afternoon after class. After failing to win one of their inane bets, Tobio is eating a well-earned pork bun courtesy of Hinata while Hinata jabbers excitedly away about his findings after researching different neighborhoods and cuisine to try when he gets to Rio.

“...and there’s this snack called coxinha, which is kinda like a dumpling but Brazilian — or maybe it’s more like a chicken croquette. Anyway the important part is that it’s fried and it looks really delicious! Look!”

Kageyama pauses his chewing for a moment to spare Hinata’s phone a glance. The photo Hinata has pulled up reminds him of upside down strawberries, except they’re tan colored and fried. Tobio has to agree: they look delicious.

“And who knows! Maybe they’ll be the closest thing to a Brazilian equivalent of pork buns when I have cravings. They’re supposed to be street food so I’m sure I can just get them from a stand or a store, whenever I need a pick-me-up, just like we’re doing right—”

Hinata stops mid sentence and stares into space. A good minute passes before he blinks and plasters a smile on again.

“Anyway, what was I saying?” he asks before pivoting to a new topic about Rio’s climate.

Tobio stuffs the last bite of his pork bun into his mouth and swallows.

“...area where there’s a cliff overlooking the water and I’m really excited to climb it. I hope I’ll have some time for things like that, the country’s so _ big _ and there’s so much to explore! I have to try and make new friends fast so I have someone to do it with, especially seeing as… well, never mind.”

He shakes his head and looks down on the ground, smile fading once more. This time, he doesn’t seem able to pick himself back up.

“Oi,” Tobio finally says. “You keep doing that. You don’t finish your sentences and it’s only gotten worse in the last few weeks.”

Hinata hugs his legs to his chest and rests his chin at the dip between his knees. He doesn’t speak.

“Oi, are you listening to me?” Tobio demands, waving a hand in front of his face. “I said you’ve been—”

“I’m going to miss you, Kageyama,” he sighs, his eyes still on the ground. “You’re going to do so great in the V-League, I just know it. Maybe the next time I catch you after graduation, it’ll be on TV. But… it’ll be kinda sad that we can’t share pork buns together afterwards. Who else am I gonna lose bets to?”

Frowning, he adds in a mutter, “Huh. I guess I just really needed to get that out there.”

Tobio’s brain, however, seems to have stopped all other motor functions as Hinata’s first words still reverberate in his mind. Hinata says he will miss him? Hinata will _ miss _ him? Hinata will miss _ him _?

Lifting a hand, Tobio claps it over Hinata’s head and tangles his fingers in his hair. As always, Hinata’s orange curls feel soft and familiar beneath his palm. Soon, he won’t get to do this as often as he likes anymore.

“Stupid,” he says, without any real heat. “We’ll still be in the same country for another year. We can still get pork buns from time to time.”

“Yeah…” Hinata says with a sad smile. “But it won’t be the same.”

“I know.” And Tobio _ does _know. He’s been mentally preparing for it internally for a while now.

He drops his hand back down at his side and lets out a long exhale. “Well. Just — take care of yourself when you get over there. If I hear you get another fever without realizing it during a match—”

Tobio breaks off when Hinata bursts into laughter.

“Don’t worry! I will!” he beams. “I can’t ever let you stand on the court longer than me ever again.”

Tobio grins.

“I’ll miss you, too.”

*****

The moment the ceremony ends, Tobio catches Hinata’s eye and immediately, he knows he’s read his mind.

Whipping off their gowns, they race full steam ahead towards the gym, ignoring the way their button-up shirt collars tug uncomfortably at their necks. This time, Hinata gets there first. Tobio knows what this means; they’ve been keeping track after all. At the end of all things, their score is even.

Without saying a word, Tobio fishes a volleyball out from the cart and gets into position on one end of the court. Game face on, Hinata readies himself on the other side of the net.

It’s a habit ingrained into their very beings, second only to breathing. Every bit of their bodies devoted to this one sport, this one love. Like a well oiled engine, the ritual between them kicks off without a sputter. Tobio spins the volleyball between his hands, throws it up in the air, and slams it over the net. Hinata follows, rushing forward to receive it. The ball makes a perfect arc and lands exactly where the imaginary setter would stand.

They stare at each other as the ball bounces on the floor a few more times before rolling out into a stop. Hours and hours and years of practice leads them right where they began. Ahead, the future stretches out before them, a long winding path headed straight for the unknown.

But even in the midst of uncertainty, Tobio knows that there’s one known factor that will always stay true and everlasting.

Before him, Hinata’s face splits into a wide smile.

“See you later, Kageyama.”

“Yeah,” he smiles back.

“See you later.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata had a rough time adjusting to Brazil at first but Kageyama always knows how to give him the proper motivation to throw himself fully into working towards the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello haikyuu veterans, how we faring? i wrote the first half of this when brazil arc first dropped but didn't have enough heart to finish it. now that 402 is out... i figured i'd finally go back and document for myself through fics all of their off-screen moments that definitely happened in my mind. this chapter is super belated but hopefully i'll be adding more as the feelings come. :)

As far as new cities go, Brazil is full of wonder.

As far as first days go, it’s been pretty lousy.

The beach takes everything he’s ever learned about volleyball and crushes it to a pulp. Shouyou arrives home kicking the sand off his feet, feeling frustrated and exhausted after a long day of work. There’s dinner to look forward to, a bed and a roof above his head. Despite everything, he still has a lot to be grateful for.

Reaching around his back, he slides his bag up front and starts to look for his keys. The moment his fingers graze the zipper seams however, his heart plummets.

_ What? When did—?! _

After all the losses he’s taken today — Japan, friends, games, time — it feels like an extra slap in the face when he notices the missing wallet. Natsu’s gift; vanished just like that.  _ You have to be more careful!  _ he can hear his mother say. Not even a full twenty-four hours have passed and already he’s lost another memento from home. Pieces of his old life slowly disappearing off into the wind. His nose burns with the sudden buildup of tears.

_ Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry— _

Taking a deep breath, he holds it in for three seconds before letting it go.

_ It’s no big deal _ , he repeats in his head as he unlocks the door and closes it behind him.  _ You’ll just have to get a new one. At least it wasn’t your phone. _

Once he feels the ocean waves in his chest start to calm down, Shouyou walks through the hallway to his room and sets his belongings down. With his stomach is aching with hunger, all he wants right now is a good meal with good company.

Inside, the smell of beef and spices fill his senses at once. The pleasant aroma soothes his overall mood, shaking his stomach into awakened hunger. When he reaches the dining room, however, he finds Pedro sitting at the table with his earphones in.

_ Well, here goes nothing. _

Plastering a smile on his face, Shouyou comes up behind him as he translates the question in his head first.

“Pedoro, jantar. Você gostaria de comer juntos?”

But his hearty invitation and attempt at Portuguese falls on deaf ears. Faint music continues to blast from Pedro’s device. He doesn’t even turn his head to look at him.

Shouyou feels everything in him deflate. Yet another reminder of all his losses today. He doesn’t really have it in him to muster up the courage and try asking Pedro again.

_ Guess not then… _

Barreling back towards his room, he bursts through the door, trying to fight against the tightness now seizing up in his chest. His heart feels like it’s been twisted and wrung into knots and while he knows he’s spent the last year prepping for things like this, trying to come to terms with all the difficulties he’d inevitably face in adjusting to a new country, nothing — NOTHING — could have prepared him for the crushing weight of his entire world being displaced.

Shutting the door behind him, Shouyou pulls out his phone and flips the case cover open. Like always, without fail, his best friends light up and smile at him from the screen. Everything in him aches to see them. Takeda-sensei had taken the picture. After finally convincing Tsukishima to at least  _ look _ like he likes them, Shouyou remembers sliding in on his side with his arms up, heart full of joy and pride at being able to call these people his team. It’s a perfect capture frozen in time. As he continues to stare at the photo, it occurs to him that he can hardly remember the last time he was ever this happy.

_ Don’t think like that. You’re here now. Not there. _

He throws his phone down on his bed and tucks himself away in the corner. The temptation to contact any of them is too strong.  _ They’re probably not even awake yet… _

And he knows it wouldn’t be a big deal. He’s sure Yachi or Yamaguchi would jump at the opportunity to talk to him and hear all about his first day. They’re his friends after all. It would be too easy. And Kageyama—

_ Kageyama… _

Shouyou swallows as a lump forms in his throat.

The thought of how Kageyama might react if he could see him now trickles like molten gold down his spine and strengthens his resolve. If Shouyou is here, he’s here for good. He’s not here for leisure and fun. As much as he wants to hear a familiar voice in a familiar language, he has to focus. For a week or two at  _ least _ as he makes this transition, he needs to fully immerse himself in this new life and make an effort to be present and focused  _ here _ . He owes it to himself and to Kageyama. Otherwise, he won’t be able to face his old partner ever again.

Sucking in his breath, he counts to five and sits up straight.

_ Don’t you dare look down. Volleyball is a sport where you’re always looking up! _

  
  


*

Shouyou hasn’t contacted anyone at home in days. Besides running into Oikawa, responding to a couple surprise LINE messages, and playing volleyball with the Grand King over the before he returned to Argentina, Shouyou has resisted calling home.

It hasn’t been a month yet, he keeps telling himself. Before hitting up any of his friends, he needs to stick it out for at least a month as Ukai had suggested, otherwise the temptation to call home may never go away.

As of now, he’s still a total stranger whenever he steps onto the beach. Shouyou is used to taller players overlooking him but with the added barriers of language and appearance, he can’t find a single entry point to establish a name for himself out here.

The sea breeze after working hours feels coarse against his skin. Nobody ever spares him a glance. Shouyou wheedles his way into a couple of games, plays until the sun sets, stops for a few snacks and drinks, then plays some more.

He doesn’t get home until an hour past midnight. When he arrives, he enters a dark apartment, pitch black except for the sliver of light from Pedro’s closed door.

Shouyou lets out a deep breath, expelling with it an ocean’s worth of weight he didn’t know he’d been carrying since that morning. His hands are itching with the ghost of a sting — a phantom imitation of a ball slapping his wrist after Kageyama easily tosses it to him. Shouyou wonders what he’s doing now, who he’s setting for these days, what it feels like to be selected for the national team, how far ahead he’s gotten…

_ No. _

He shakes himself out of the thought. He can’t think about it until he’s gotten a few steps further himself. He can’t let himself fall into the threatening pit of despair now. Slapping his face, he grabs his towel and pajamas and starts getting ready for bed.

After a quick shower and brushing his teeth, he turns off the lights and climbs into bed. He’s scrolling through his twitter feed when his phone suddenly buzzes:

_ Kageyama Tobio is calling… _

His heart races. Spirits lifting, he picks up at once.

“Hello?”

He hears Kageyama’s breath hitch in surprise.

“You’re awake?” he asks.

Shouyou props himself up on his elbows, an instinctive smile splitting his face for the first time in days. “Why are  _ you _ surprised? You’re the one who called me!”

“I didn’t think you’d pick up!” Kageyama replies.

“Then why call?”

“‘Cause I was going to leave a message, dumbass!”

Shouyou stifles a laugh. “And here I thought maybe you missed me.”

Silence on the other line, then—

“I had to make sure you weren’t slacking off.”

“Why would I fly all the way across the world just to slack off!”

“Exactly.”

“Meanie. Maybe I shouldn’t have picked up.”

“Wait.” He hears Kageyama shift on the other end. “Don’t hang up.”

In the dark beneath his covers, Shouyou grins.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Kageyama takes a deep breath and releases it into the static between them. Silence again.

“Kageyama?” Shouyou frowns. “I’m sure you didn’t call in the middle of the night just to—”

“I’m going to Rio.”

Shouyou sits up, his heart pounding hard against his ribcage.  _ Does this mean—? _

“You got in?”

A pause. “Yeah.”

Shouyou lets out a short laugh through his nose. “Of course you did.”

He can see it so clearly now: Kageyama, in Japan’s classic red uniform, stepping up to the court beneath bright stadium lights. His chest aches at the thought of it.

_ So close, and yet so far… _

His mind has already been made up. He still has so much more ground to cover.

Kageyama clears his throat.

“So—”

“I don’t want to see you.”

Kageyama goes quiet.

Shouyou bites his lip. He’s lying through his teeth but beneath the desire to see a familiar face — one  _ most  _ familiar to him at that — a growing dread of deep foreboding grips his stomach, twists it into knots. He had vowed to Kageyama that the next time they saw each other, he’d be completely caught up to him. As childish as it sounds to deny himself this one thing, a thing that he wants in this exact moment more than anything in the world, he can’t help but feel like if he broke any part of his promise to Kageyama, he’d jinx it.

After a while, Kageyama sighs.

“I figured you’d say that.”

“Then you already know.”

“Mm.”

Earlier today, he had sat by the beach, fighting strong waves of loneliness as he pushed against the lump forming thick in his throat. Clenching his fists, he’d lifted his hands and watched the sand trickling through his fingers. Now, alone in his room, on the phone with his most formidable teammate and rival and friend, he shuts his eyes and lets himself feel the prickles of every tiny grain slipping through his grasp.

“Well. Hurry up.” Kageyama’s voice is low and soft in his ear.

His resolve hardening, Shouyou opens his eyes and manages a smile.

“I know. Get a few serves in for me when you’re here.”

“Obviously.”

“Don’t hit any teammates in the back of their heads!”

“Shut up. That’s  _ my _ line.”

Shouyou grins.

“Goodnight, Kageyama.”  _ Just wait… I’ll be by your side soon. _

“Night.”

His phone beeps with the ended call. Shouyou flops back down on his pillow and stares into the dark. And just like that, all of his misgivings, hesitancies, and immediate homesickness feelings evaporate on the spot.

Kageyama is coming to Rio. The sand in the hourglass continues to fall. Time is running short. As difficult as it’s been to be in a foreign country, he can’t afford to waste another second moping about it.

From the very first moment he met Kageyama, Shouyou’s whole life has felt like a game of catch up. It’s about time he closes the gap.

**Author's Note:**

> as always, please come scream with me on twitter ([@lavendori](https://twitter.com/lavendori)) and/or [tumblr](https://lavendori.tumblr.com), especially if you want to cry about the recent chapters with me. i'll dig a hole by my grave for you.


End file.
